top secret trick to perfect hummus.

today was incredibly hectic at work. i didn’t have much time to eat let alone take photos of anything. if i was a drinker, i would probably be drowning my stress in booze right about now. but i’m not. instead, i am hitting the gym and then going to a baby shower tonight. for my sister in law. she’s having her baby on 10-20-10. lucky. i am such a numbers freak.

anyway, in lieu of a typical post, i thought i would pass on a trick i learned from miss eating bird food herself. brittany, you are right on the money with this one!

let’s talk hummus. a lot of people i know hear the word hummus and are immediately repulsed.. thinking it is “hippie” or “health” food. their terms, not mine. but really, hummus is just a fancy word for bean dip. the best bean dip in the world.

i like to make my hummus from scratch. it is cheaper and it is like a blank canvas. you can easily make any flavor you want. the only downside is that i could never get my hummus to be as creamy as the ones they serve at greek restaurants or as dreamy as my favorite brand, sabra.

well, thanks to brittany’s post, i learned that the key to making your hummus super, duper creamy is to..wait for it..

remove the skins from the beans.

*ding* light bulb! why didn’t i ever think of that?!

it was definitely time consuming, but luckily marshall helped with part of the peeling process. it was quite easy.. and i am sure it would have been easier had i followed brittany’s advice and boiled the garbanzo beans for a couple minutes before removing the skins.

i was so excited about this trick that i simply had to pass the nugget of information onto all of you. you can thank me later. actually, thank brittany.

penny says thanks, too.

Qs~

1. do you like hummus? what is your favorite flavor? i am slightly obsessed with hummus and always have to try it if it is on the menu at a restaurant. my favorite to make at home is susan’s sunflower hummus (above), my favorite at a restaurant is plain at aristo’s in SLC or the cilantro at pita jungle in arizona. favorite packaged hummus is sabra—any flavor will do!

2. any food prep tricks you would like to share with the class? i use a pastry blender to make guacamole and to mash my bananas for banana bread.

oh man. i’m going to have to try that trick.
and i like, i mean LOVE trader joes jalapeno and cilantro hummus.
and hummus is not a condiment. haha.

and a trick – it’s not really a foodie trick – but if you ever have a dirty microwave – pasta sauce popping on the sides and stuff of that nature – simply microwave a bowl of white distilled vinegar until it’s boiling. let it cool a moment. dip in a washcloth and wipe the sides down. that’s it – clean microwave!!!

ohh i like that trick! totally time consuming but sounds to be totally worth it!!! I must try that next time I make hummus! :) I also LOVED that you compared homemade hummus to a blank canvas beacuse you are toatlly right! i love making my own, it taste fresher, you know exactly whats in it and you can add whatever you like to the mix!!

to make lemons easier to juice, pop them in the microwave for 10 seconds to get the juices flowing!

When I want to peel garlic, I put something flat and metal on top of it (like a butter knife) and smack it hard so the skin comes right off!

Have you tried Happy Monkey Hummus from the Farmers Market? She makes it fresh every week and has different flavors every week. My favorite are her Roasted Garlic and Pepper and Susasabi (it has wasabi in it~YUMMY!

The only food tip I’ve got is for garlic. With the flat side of a knive down, I press the garlic clove until it breaks. That is a quick and easy way to peal garlic (if you don’t have one of the nifty rollers you got at the fair)

I’ve actually heard of this trick and will probably never try it… because I like my hummus thick n’ chunky!! I purposely add little liquid and don’t blend that much when I make it at home. The thicker and more clumpy the better :)